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Chris Smith
Portrait of Chris Smith

Christopher Lyall Smith

Born: 15 October 1958, Durban, Natal, South Africa
Major Teams: Natal, Glamorgan, Hampshire, England.
Known As: Chris Smith
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break


Test Debut: England v New Zealand at Lord's, 3rd Test, 1983
Latest Test:
England v India at Leeds, 2nd Test, 1986

ODI Debut:
England v New Zealand at Christchurch, 1st ODI, 1983/84
Latest ODI:
England v Pakistan at Karachi, 2nd ODI, 1983/84

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1984

Career Statistics:

TESTS
 (including 19/06/1986)
                      M    I  NO  Runs   HS     Ave     SR 100  50   Ct  St
Batting & Fielding    8   14   1   392   91   30.15  29.83   0   2    5   0

                      O      M     R    W    Ave   BBI    5  10    SR  Econ
Bowling              17      4    39    3  13.00  2-31    0   0  34.0  2.29

ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS
 (including 26/03/1984)
                      M    I  NO  Runs   HS     Ave     SR 100  50   Ct  St
Batting & Fielding    4    4   0   109   70   27.25  45.41   0   1    0   0

                      O      M     R    W    Ave   BBI   4w  5w    SR  Econ
Bowling               6      0    28    2  14.00  2-8     0   0  18.0  4.66

FIRST-CLASS
 (1977/78 - 1991)
                      M    I  NO  Runs   HS     Ave 100  50   Ct  St
Batting & Fielding  269  466  60 18028  217   44.40  47  88  176   0

                    Balls    M     R    W    Ave   BBI    5  10    SR  Econ
Bowling              4457  140  2685   50  53.70  5-69    1   0  89.1  3.61

LIST A LIMITED OVERS
 (1980 - 1991)
                      M    I  NO  Runs   HS     Ave 100  50   Ct  St
Batting & Fielding  214  197  39  6700  159   42.40  11  42   38   0

                      O       R    W    Ave   BBI   4w  5w    SR  Econ
Bowling              28.3   114   10  11.40  3-32    0   0  17.1  4.00

- Explanations of First-Class and List A status courtesy of the ACS.


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Profile:

Chris Smith was born of English parents in Durban, South Africa in October 1958. Keen to pursue a career in cricket and frustrated by the apartheid-derived ban on international sport with South Africa, he left to try his luck in Britain having previously toured the country with Kingsmead Mynahs (essentially Natal U25s) in 1976.

Smith made his first-class debut in 1977-78 for Natal B aged just 18, and continued to represent them over the next six seasons. He played for Glamorgan in 1979, before moving to Hampshire for 1980. That season he topped 1,000 first-class runs as their overseas player, but his chances were then limited by the presence of Gordon Greenidge and Malcolm Marshall at the club. He captained the Second XI in 1981 and made only occasional appearances for the first team.

Finally qualifying to play for England in 1983, Smith scored heavily for his county that season, including 193 against Derbyshire, and was called up for the Third Test at Lord's. His Test career got off to a disastrous start when he was trapped lbw first ball by the great Sir Richard Hadlee (and had to endure the ranting of an MCC member who thought he belonged back in South Africa), but a patient 43 in the second innings promised better things. He performed well on the subsequent tours of Pakistan and New Zealand; averaging 40 in the five Tests he played in, and recording his Test-best score of 91 at Auckland and hitting 66 in Faisalabad. He also played his only four one-day internationals on the trip, top-scoring with 70 in his second game in Wellington, and leading England to victory. A useful off-spinner, though not in the all-rounder class, he weighed in with some useful wickets in both forms of the game.

1984 was a disappointing year (though it began with him being named as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year for his efforts over the previous 12 months) and Smith was unable to retain his Test place, though 2,000 first-class runs in 1985 saw him on to the England B tour to Sri Lanka. He did well there and won a Test recall for the Second Test against India at Leeds next summer (1986), but performed modestly as England were well beaten. Blond-haired, with a thick moustache, 5'11" and 13 stone, Smith is best remembered at Hampshire for the assiduous way he worked at his game. He would be the first to admit that he lacked some of the talent of his younger brother, Robin, who forged a successful career in Chris' footsteps with both Hampshire and England, but a good technique that won praise from Geoff Boycott saw Chris develop into one of the most consistent opening batsmen in county cricket. A much less flamboyant player than his brother, he could still hit the ball with great power and remained a force at county level, hitting a career-best 217 against Warwickshire in 1987 and taking best bowling figures of 5-69 against Sussex in 1988.

At the end of the 1991 season, which saw Hampshire win the NatWest Trophy, Chris Smith retired slightly prematurely to take-up a position as Chief Executive of the WACA in Perth. A keen golf and squash player, he combined his cricket career with several other business interests and was one of few county players to drive a Porsche. An aunt, Jackie Mercer, was a leading South African golfer while his grandfather, Vernon Lyall Shearer played for Natal. (George Dobell, Copyright CricInfo 2001)

* Last Updated: Monday, 19-Aug-2002 21:01:32 GMT


 
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